$53 billion Obama plan could put high-speed rail on track in state

How much money Illinois would receive unclear, but all Midwest rails lead to Chicago

February 08, 2011|By Jon Hilkevitch, TRIBUNE REPORTER

Illinois' long-shot bid to introduce faster passenger trains by 2014 received a potential boost Tuesday from a White House proposal to spend $53 billion over six years to create a national high-speed rail network that would eventually be within reach of 80 percent of the U.S. population.

It was unclear how much money Illinois and other Midwestern states could receive as a result of the proposal, which is part of a long-term commitment to faster trains President Barack Obama made last year, with $10.5 billion in start-up funding appropriated for more than 30 states.

Congressional approval of the $53 billion plan would help accelerate work to upgrade the 284-mile corridor between Chicago and St. Louis to accommodate trains traveling at up to 110 mph, and to build a second track along the same route, experts said.

A funding boost to Illinois, Michigan and Iowa also would step up the pace on modernizing the Chicago-to-Detroit rail line for faster trains and building a new Amtrak route between Chicago and Iowa City.

"Within the Midwest, Chicago is the clear winner since all rails lead to Chicago,'' said Kevin Brubaker, deputy director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

Illinois has so far received more than $1.23 billion from the federal government for high-speed rail projects. The state needs at least an additional $3 billion to complete the initial projects, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Illinois has invested $400 million on high-speed rail, and state officials praised the new federal spending proposal.

"As gas prices continue to climb, demand for passenger rail is at an all-time high, with over 2 million passengers riding Amtrak last year,'' said a statement from Gov. Pat Quinn's office.

But the plan encountered immediate opposition from top Republican lawmakers Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, compared the president's high-speed rail infrastructure plan to "giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio.''

In his State of the Union address last month, Obama set a goal to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years.